Pontiac tourism: Spring Forum welcomes you

This coming Saturday April 15, Tourisme Pontiac Tourism (TPT) is holding its
Spring Forum at the Campbell’s Bay RA Centre. Opening presentations start at
10:30 and the day ends with prizes given out at 3:00.

Always enthusiastic, Ken Fisher, President of TPT says, “Our theme this
year is promoting rural tourism. On Saturday we’re featuring a panel of local
and regional tourism representatives. They will speak about their recent
accomplishments, obstacles they’ve encountered -- and how they’ve dealt with
them. We’re hoping that lots of Pontiac residents will attend, and find out
what’s going on in and near their local community.”

He continues, “The morning starts with coffee and muffins served at 10:00,
followed by an opening address at 10:30. The panel kicks off at 11:00, followed
by lunch. The morning is $5.00 and includes the luncheon, but the afternoon is
completely free.”

In fact, the afternoon sounds as if it will be a lot of fun.

“We’re planning to showcase the tourism operators of the Pontiac,” says
Fisher. “We’ll have our own TPT booth on display. All our members have
updated their listings with new photos and description of their business. As
well, there’ll be tables where you can meet the operators, find out about
their product, and learn what’s going on in your very own community, as well
as in two neighbouring regions.”

In addition, Campbell’s Bay Mayor - Cletus Ferrigan, CLD’s President Ross
Vowles, and other Pontiac representatives such as Heather Dickson, President of
the SADC, will be in attendance. Come on out and meet them, express your
enthusiasm and concerns over tourism here in the Pontiac.

After lunch, the TPT booth displays tourism operators here in the Pontiac.
You’ll be familiar with many local entrepreneurs from Esprit Rafting, Ottawa
Adventures, the Coulonge Chutes, Pontiac Artists’ Studio Tour, Ottawa
Waterway, Spruceholme, Pine Lodge, Pontiac Archives, just to mention a few.

You’ll also find tables where representatives from these businesses will
showcase their products. Ottawa Valley Tourist Association and
Abitibi-Temiskaming will be there too, so you can discover what adjacent tourism
operators are doing.

Come on, find out what’s happening in your own back yard. You might just be
surprised.

Why is tourism important to you as a resident of the Pontiac? Here’s a few
reasons.

1. The rails to trails issue is highly controversial in Municipality of
Pontiac. Beef farmers and other landowners with property bordering the old CPR
track wax from lukewarm to enthusiastic to violently opposed to the concept of a
recreational trail. Not everyone embraces tourism. Come on out to Campbell’s
Bay and find out what the issues are and why tourism is a viable, growing
industry here in your back yard.

3. Hunting and fishing is popular here. Again, how do we ensure that Pontiac
maintains a rich population of diverse species? Who is monitoring this?

4. Cottagers want to clear vegetation from their waterfront for their beaches
and boats. Others developers want to build cottages around our beautiful lakes.
How do we ensure our watercourses stay clean?

5. You have visitors to your home who want to see what the Pontiac is like.
Whether you take young children to the Norway Bay Pier for a safe swim and
picnic, take a group on a rafting trip down the Ottawa River, or dine at one of
our local restaurants, you are plugging into our Tourisme Pontiac Tourism
network. Find out what’s going on so your visitors can have such a great time
they’ll want to return!

These are just five quick reasons why you should attend the Spring Forum. You’ll
find there’s lots to grab and keep your attention as you visit the tourism
representatives.

And here’s another reason you should come. At 3:00 there’s a basket of
tourism products to win.

Because the afternoon is free, fun, and you can win a prize, you really have
no excuse for not showing up! See you there.

For information, contact Ken Fisher, President of Tourisme Pontiac Tourism at
455-9295.

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Katharine Fletcher is a freelance writer and an
enthusiastic member of TPT who hopes to see you in Campbell’s Bay. Contact her
at fletcher.katharine@gmail.com